ETSU Hall of Fame: Reid enjoyed home-court advantage

Editor's note: The following Johnson City Press story is the first in a series of six daily features profiling the 2013 ETSU Athletics Hall of Fame class, leading up to the induction ceremony Sunday at the Millennium Center in Johnson City. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., and tickets may be purchased by calling 423-439-4343. ETSUBucs.com is providing an excerpt from each day's story courtesy of the Johnson City Press.

By JOE AVENTO

Press Sports Writer

The first female tennis player Dave Mullins tried to lure to East Tennessee State didn’t exactly break his recruiting budget.

Kim Toohey was a senior at Science Hill High School, two miles from Mullins’ office, when he recruited her in 1988.

“She was the first female I signed, maybe the first player I signed,” Mullins said.

As it turned out, Mullins’ first player was a pretty good one. Toohey, now known by her married name of Kim Reid, will be inducted into ETSU’s Hall of Fame on Sunday.

“Coach Mullins always stressed we may not have been the most talented people on the court, but we worked harder than anybody,” Reid said. “It taught me if you put the effort and the work in, then you’ll have successful results in what you do. That transfers in other parts of your life, your career, your family.”

Reid’s family is a direct result of her tennis career. She met her husband, Arthur, during her freshman year at ETSU. He had played for Mullins at Roane State and was serving as a student assistant at ETSU.

“I met some lifelong friends through the tennis team,” she said. “And that’s how I met my husband. That was the best one.”

The Reids have three children, ranging in age from 8 to 18.

“They know this is a neat thing,” she said. “They’re very excited.”

Being inducted into the ETSU Hall of Fame wasn’t something that had been on Reid’s mind.

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